Paradox and Possibility: The Unofficial Story of Cornerstone Festival

The Broken Clone

It was the second Cornerstone, 1985, and a lanky newcomer named Steve Taylor
turned heads with his quirky new-wave inspired music and his satirical tone.
Having toured extensively with Rez Band the year before, and already on his
second album, Steve had Cornerstone in his pocket. His show's energy was
palpable. In a fit of enthusiasm (possibly inspired by Bono's famous stage
dive at Farm Aid earlier that year), Taylor decided to jump down into the small
area fenced off along the front edge of the stage in order to get up close and
personal with his fans. To avoid hitting a small child who had meandered into
the area, or so the legend has it, the singer twisted his weight to one side
and broke his ankle. Through extreme pain the brave jester finished his set,
heading to the emergency room immediately thereafter where he was given a
hearty cast and told to keep off the foot. The next night Taylor joined Sheila
Walsh on stage for a duet, in a wheelchair. The following year Taylor showed
up with T-shirts emblazoned with a clever drawing of the incident and the lines
"Did he jump, or was he pushed?" The story was forever etched on the wall of
Cornerstone lore from that day forward.